Summer Reading Information
(2026-2027)

This year, the English Department continues to build strong foundational reading experiences in Grades 9 and 10 while introducing student choice in upper grades.

• Students entering Grades 9-10 will read an assigned text.

• Students entering Grades 11-12 will choose their own book within an assigned genre and are not expected to read the same text. 

All students must complete their summer reading and be prepared for an assessment at the start of the school year:

• Grades 9-10: Common text + assessment

• Grades 11-12: Student choice reading + writing/presentation

Over the summer, please prepare notes (specific suggestions found at the bottom of this page) on your book. Further details on the assessment itself will be given to you by your teacher at the start of the school year.

English 1

Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro

English 2 and English 2 Honors 

Kindred by Octavia Butler

English 2 Honors with AP European History only

1.) Kindred by Octavia Butler
2.) A Small Place by Jamaica Kincaid

English 3, Honors English 3, and AP Language and Composition

AMERICAN LITERATURE 

Choose one fiction or nonfiction book that:

• is written by an American author

• explores issues, experiences, or perspectives connected to the United States, including its connections to the wider world

• is appropriate for academic study

• is not a book assigned at Central

• not permitted: graphic novels, YA literature, or children’s books

AP Language and Composition

1.) American Literature novel of student's choosing

2.) 50 Essays by Samuel Cohen, Editor - AP Language and Composition Summer Work

IB English HL1 

Note: Students in IB do not have to read an independent American Literature novel.

1.) Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro

English 4 only

MEMOIR or AUTOBIOGRAPHY

Choose one memoir or autobiography that:

• is literary and appropriate for academic study

• provides enough depth for analysis, reflection, and discussion

• is not a book assigned at Central

• not permitted: graphic novels, YA literature, or children’s books

AP Literature and Composition

Note: Students in AP Lit do not have to read an independent memoir/autobiography.

1.) How to Read Literature like a Professor by Thomas Foster

2.) Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka

IB English HL2

Note: Students in IB Lit do not have to read an independent memoir/autobiography.

1.) Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi

2.) Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka

Summer reading assessments (including presentations, writing, and/or tests) are designed to prepare students for the upcoming school year and help teachers understand each student’s skills as the course begins. These assignments will count as the first major grades of the marking period.

Students are encouraged to obtain their books in whatever way works best for them, including purchasing or borrowing from a local or school library.

All students should actively engage with their reading by annotating the text and taking notes to support their understanding.